As the world slowly begins to open back up after the horrors of coronavirus, many hotels have started to reopen their doors by tempting guests back with heavily discounted offers on deals websites, slashing their room rates by more than 50% in many cases. Whilst cheap rates may result in “heads on beds,” the truth is by the time the high commission rates have been paid out to the third party, there isn’t much left for your business.
What if I told you there was a simple, affordable way you could increase the amount of revenue on these discount deals before the guest even arrives at the check-in desk?
You, my friend, need an email marketing funnel.
What is an email marketing funnel?
Simply put, an email marketing funnel is a series of carefully crafted emails sent out to your email list over the space of a few days or weeks, designed to nurture the client relationship and prime them into becoming loyal and excited customers who can’t wait to purchase from you. It’s a highly successful system used by the world’s best online marketing gurus and businesses.
How does an email funnel work and what does it consist of?
There are three kinds of email funnels that get different results based on your objective:
Education funnel – series of emails that educate your client about a new product and convinces them to purchase
Upsell funnel – series of emails designed to increase sales from existing customers
Get them in your building funnel – series of emails designed to get new customers through the door, usually by creating some kind of special offer or discount
For the purpose of increasing revenue from clients who have booked a special rate, we will use an upsell funnel.
Email Marketing for Hotels – How Upsell Funnels Work
Upsell funnels increase sales from existing customers by introducing other products and services your hotel offers and persuading them to buy from you without being pushy or salesy by combining emails with genuinely useful content and offers that serve your client’s desires and pain points.
A standard upsell funnel would consist of a series of five emails, sent a few days apart in a specific order that would contain useful content and offers to outline additional upgrades and services they can purchase before a designated deadline.
A fancier upsell funnel could consist of additional emails, a pre-arrival survey based on customer’s preferences so you can personalise the offers you are sending them, and a post-departure sequence of emails allowing you to collect testimonials and feedback to use on your site, and get previous clients to recommend your offers to their friends and family.
Can’t I just send an email promoting my offers as soon as I get their email address?
Yes, you can but the chances of success are considerably lower. Here’s why. Imagine you went on a first date with someone. You had already agreed to the date and were looking forward to it, but about 10 minutes after you arrived, your date proposed to you. What would be your first reaction? You’d run away, right? Nobody’s ready for that kind of commitment after 10 minutes!
It’s the same principle when it comes to new and prospective clients. It takes time to build a relationship and establish trust, but once that relationship has been nurtured, the client is much more likely to buy from you.
Why is email so important, nobody really reads them anymore do they?
Wrong! Your email list is the only data you truly own and have total control of. It is the only guaranteed way you will reach your client base, and 99% of consumers check their email every day. Social media algorithms are constantly changing, and only a fraction of your followers will ever see the content you are posting. But if you send an email, you know for a fact it will reach every single person’s inbox. Whether or not they open it, that’s up to you!
Are you a hotel or tourism marketing professional? Check out my article on how to write great marketing copy for your website or brochure here.
If you’re interested in learning more about email marketing for hotels and how I can help you, drop me a line at tanja@tanjawarwick.com